Movies like The Equalizer (2014)
The best movies like The Equalizer (2014) are Death Wish (2018), Death Wish II (1982) and A Working Man (2025). If The Equalizer hooked you with its thriller and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHeat (1995)7.9/10 from 8,874 votes
- NewestHow to Make a Killing (2026)Released 2026
Death Wish (2018)
A mild-mannered father is transformed into a killing machine after his family is torn apart by a violent act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Wish II (1982)
Paul Kersey is again a vigilante trying to find five punks who murdered his housekeeper and daughter in Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Working Man (2025)
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Mercy (1986)
An unconventional undercover Chicago cop and his partner are recruited to commit the murder of a New Orleans criminal kingpin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisNighthawks (1981)
When one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode of Silence (1985)
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeath Wish 3 (1985)
Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard to Kill (1990)
Mason Storm, a 'go it alone' cop, is gunned down at home. The intruders kill his wife, and think they've killed both Mason and his son too. Mason is secretly taken to a hospital where he spends several years in a coma. His son meanwhile is growing up thinking his father is dead. When Mason wakes up, everyone is in danger - himself, his son, his best friend, his nurse - but most of all those who arranged for his death
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dead Pool (1988)
Dirty Harry Callahan returns for his final film adventure. Together with his partner Al Quan, he must investigate the systematic murder of prominent figures. By the time Harry learns that the murders are part of a sick game to predict such deaths, it may be too late.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleepless (2017)
Undercover Las Vegas police officer Vincent Downs, who has a lot of enemies, is caught in a high stakes web of corrupt cops and the mob-controlled casino underground. When a heist goes wrong, a crew of homicidal gangsters kidnap Downs’ teenage son T. In one sleepless night, Downs will have to rescue his son, evade an internal affairs investigation, and bring the kidnappers to justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisMagnum Force (1973)
"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When shady characters are murdered one after another in grisly fashion, only Dirty Harry can stop them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBirds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoffy (1973)
After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSniper: Rogue Mission (2022)
When a crooked federal agent is involved in a human sex trafficking ring, Sniper and CIA Rookie Brandon Beckett goes rogue, teaming up with his former allies Homeland Security Agent Zero and assassin Lady Death to uncover the corrupt agent and take down the criminal organization.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEraser (1996)
Eraser, an elite federal marshal who "erases" the pasts of jeopardized informers and relocates them into safe anonymity, must protect a moving target who stands to uncover a conspiracy that could shift the balance of power in the world forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Make a Killing (2026)
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFace/Off (1997)
In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeppermint (2018)
A grieving mother transforms herself into a vigilante following the murders of her husband and daughter, eluding the authorities to deliver her own personal brand of justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPolar (2019)
When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless killers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeat (1995)
Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSweet Pea & Glass (2023)
Two rookies have one last chance to prove themselves to the "Suits" gang. All they have to do is ditch a body in enemy territory without being caught. If the rival "Scars" don't kill them, their boss sure will.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & action
BREACH (2025)
A detective with a warrant stumbles upon a plan that he never saw coming.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
The Devil's Own (1997)
Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmil and the Detectives (1964)
When Emil travels by bus to Berlin to visit his family, his money is stolen by a crook who specializes in digging tunnels. While following the thief, Emil runs into Gustav, a young boy who gathers up all his friends to help Emil find the money. However, they get into more trouble than they bargained for when Emil's pickpocket turns out to be mixed up with a couple of notorious bank robbers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Panic Room (2002)
Trapped in their New York brownstone's panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman and her young daughter Sarah play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders - Burnham, Raoul and Junior - during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOn the Line (2021)
Seo-joon, loses everything to voice phishing and infiltrates a organization in China to meet Kwak Pro, the designer behind this phishing system.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBy the Gun (2014)
A rising Boston gangster endangers those around him when he starts to make moves without the knowledge of his boss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisIndian 3: War Mode (TBA)
Banished by the very people who sought his return to end corruption, Senapathy's two track mission converges into a single track as he takes upon eradicating corruption into his own hands.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Bad Company (2002)
When a Harvard-educated CIA agent is killed during an operation, the secret agency recruits his twin brother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisBaise-moi (2000)
Nadine and Manu are two mad women, as tidy as can be, almost perfectionists. They have several things in common: extreme sex, drugs, beer and the trigger. They find the solution to their problems with guns and beware to those who dare to get in their way!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Equalizer?
The closest matches to The Equalizer are Death Wish (2018), Death Wish II (1982) and A Working Man (2025). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Equalizer?
Start with Death Wish (2018), the closest match to The Equalizer.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Equalizer?
Heat (1995), rated 7.9/10 by 8,874 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Equalizer?
How to Make a Killing (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Equalizer?
Yes: Death Wish (2018), Death Wish II (1982) and A Working Man (2025).
How are movies similar to The Equalizer chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Equalizer, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.